


Catch My Fall

by Helianthus21



Series: tumblr ficlets [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 03:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18438512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helianthus21/pseuds/Helianthus21
Summary: "You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”





	Catch My Fall

**Author's Note:**

> prompt fill transported over from tumblr

Cas wakes up after ten hours of sleep he shouldn’t need, and squints into the dimmed lighting of the room. To the immense relief of one Dean Winchester, who’s been sitting beside the bed for every minute of those hours. 

“Morning, sunshine.”

Cas frowns. Slowly, he tries to stand up, but Dean’s at his side in an instant, hand pressing against his shoulder in a silent command to take it easy. With no protest except for the scowl on his face, Cas lets himself be positioned against the headboard. 

“What happened?” Cas asks, voice rough with sleep, rougher even than normal. He looks around. “Where’s Sam?”

“Sam’s fine, he’s getting us some fast food,” assures Dean.

“I don’t eat,” comes the instant reply and Dean rolls his eyes.

“Yeah you do,” he insists. “If I need to tuck you in, I get to feed you too.”

Cas’ scowl deepens, and his hand twitches as if he’d like to move, do something, but his slumped pose against the headboard tells Dean just how exhausted he still is. That settles it. Guy needs some care.

“I don’t sleep either.” The angel’s voice is very faint now, nothing of that mighty warrior pitch left in it and Dean’s heart aches for him. It must be terrifying, he thinks. Teetering so close to the edge.  
So Dean does the only thing he knows to do in such a situation. He leans forward and drapes the blanket back over Cas, ignoring the signals of irritation Cas tries to broadcast so intently towards him. 

“Sometimes you just need a break, I guess.” He tries to downplay it. What else is there to do?

Cas doesn’t say anything. He just keeps glaring – at the ground for a change so Dean gets a reprieve, if temporary – and that’s an awkward silence if there ever was one. 

“You know, you could’ve told us how bad it was gonna get.”

And then it’s back on him in full force. That icy stare that would burn Dean’s eyes right out of his skull if it could. At least that’s how it looks to Dean.

“I told you,” Cas growls. “I told you I’m not as strong as I once was and that carrying both of you as additional weight would weaken me further!”

“But you didn’t say how bad it was!” Dean yells back. “How’m I supposed to know how bad it is if you don’t give me anything to work with? If you told me, ‘Dean, if I beam you to the past with me, it might just kill me’ – do you think we would’ve insisted on coming along?”

Cas falls quiet, looking down at his hands which are folded in his lap. “I don’t talk like that.”

“Sure you do. I even did the voice and all.”

Another stretch of silence. Dean sighs, rubs a hand over his face. It’s so… frustrating, talking to Cas.  
He glances at his watch. If he doesn’t want Sam to give him the stink eye for pissing off their patient, he’s gotta work on fixing this before his brother is back. 

So he sits down beside Cas on the bed. “Look, man,” he starts. “I’m just saying. You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”   
He flashes Cas a grin that’s too powerful to be defeated by Cas’ scowl. A fact that’s proven true when one corner of Cas’ mouth lifts in a reluctant half-smile. 

“I didn’t lose consciousness to impress you,” Cas says, quietly.

Dean laughs. “No, but maybe you were planning to be swept up into these strong arms all along.”

A muffled noise escapes Cas’ throat that he hides by ducking his head. It’s an awkward motion, one Dean’s not seen on him before. He likes it. He’d almost say it’s kinda cute. But that’s ridiculous. Cas isn’t cute. He’s a warrior. 

“You’re impossible, Dean Winchester.” 

By the way Cas says it, Dean really can’t tell if that’s supposed to be a good or a bad thing.

By the way he slides a little closer on the bed, pressing his knee against Dean’s, though, maybe it’s a good thing after all. 

“You know,” Cas adds, voice lowered to a whisper now, “That wasn’t so bad. What little I remember at least.”

Dean raises an eyebrow at him. “What, being in my arms?” He laughs, makes a joke of it. Because what Cas is trying to say there sounds a hell of a lot like the emotional crap he usually gives a wide berth to. 

But Cas isn’t interested in deflection. His expression is as earnest as ever when he returns Dean’s gaze. “Being caught before I fell.” 

And yeah, okay. 

That. 

“Anytime, buddy,” Dean promises, and lifts his hand to Cas’ right shoulder, squeezes once. “Anytime.”


End file.
